We have had pretty much a "black and white Friday" here, with still plenty of snow on the ground, although lots of it melted today. It was pretty quiet today; Fred went with Bill Rossi to look at cars; it was a guy version of Black Friday shopping. They started off in St. Johnsbury at the Green Mountain Mall and ended up in the White Mountains of Gorham, N.H. Fred took pictures along the way - the weather was fine and the road was good even for Route 2 East, they had a decent lunch at some Italian restaurant, and got back home in time for supper. Here's a slide show: Black Friday Shopping with Bill and Fred

I'm sharing some of our Thanksgiving pictures with you. We were at Bill and Monika's, and enjoyed being with our two granddaughters. Monika's friend, Abbie, from Baltimore, is visiting for a few days - in the top picture is Abbie, Jo-Ann in the blue shirt, Uncle Jamie, Monika and Aunt Marie with her back to the camera. They were playing Scrabble. The next picture is big sister Jo-Ann, then Uncle Jamie with Tangeni - not quite 5 months old now. She is quite a little performer - loved being where the action was, and there was no shortage of attention to her. Everyone got to hold her and play with her, and she carefully examined each of us with a serious stare and then squirmed and giggled, anxious to get to the next lap.


That's her dad feeding her with Jo-Ann holding the bib that dad forgot, and mom waiting to administer vitamin drops. Tangeni loves all the attention, and after she had some cereal and a bottle, she zonked out in her little basket seat while the rest of us had our turkey and ham and all the trimmings. Grandpa Fred said he thought babies cried a lot, and was impressed Tangeni was far more inclined to giggles and chortles than tears.

We had a wonderful meal with good conversation and lots to eat and lots of laughter. Bill deep fried one turkey and did another in the oven - both were delicious, and I would not want to choose one method over the other, but he said it takes much less time time for it to cook in the oil. Aunt Marie brought her wonderful Swedish Apple Pie, and Jo-Ann's blueberry pie was a big hit. I'm so proud she has mastered pie crust like a pro. When she asked me for directions to make pie crust she was only 11 and I expected she would be discouraged, but her first try was a success and she's been making pies ever since - plus lots of other baked goods.

Monika, Jo-Ann and Abbie told us stories of living in Africa, about what it was like growing up and going to school there, and the present unrest in countries bordering Mali, where Abbie is from. We were struck by how courageous it is for people to leave their homes and move to a foreign land so they and their children can have a better education and life. Like Monika and her mother, Floriana, Abbie is a lovely, friendly, and gentle lady, and we enjoyed our time with her yesterday.

I've had very little e-mail today, but late this afternoon I got a request for 100 Ice-Out Tickets. People are beginning to think about having them available to put in their greeting cards, so from now on there will probably be a rush on them until after Christmas. Then it will pick up again as spring nears.

In the meantime, Christmas is just around the corner - the stores are bursting with merchandise and Christmas music sets the mood in the malls. We began to see some Christmas decorations way before Halloween in some of the stores, but now they are running at full tilt, heartened by the snow this past week, hoping the economy is picking up and shoppers will be spending lots of money this year. I'm enjoying the Christmas music, too. 'Tis the season!